Atomizing nozzles, also called mist heads, are used in connection with misting systems to produce fog or at least a fine mist. Typically, water under pressure is forced through the atomizing nozzles to produce the mist. Desirably, the mist is sufficiently fine so that it rapidly evaporates. As the mist evaporates, the general area around the atomizing nozzles becomes cooler. Rapid evaporation prevents people and property located in the mist from getting wet and enhances the cooling effect. Accordingly, misting systems are often used for cooling and for increasing humidity.
In order to produce a fog or at least a fine mist that quickly evaporates, atomizing nozzles include a small orifice through which a fluid under high pressure passes as it exits the nozzle. In addition, a plunger, also called a poppet or impeller, is positioned within a passage that connects to the orifice. The action of the plunger within the passage helps break the fluid into a fog or fine mist.
The nature of the operation performed by atomizing nozzles causes them to become clogged on occasion, particularly when hard or unpurified water is used to produce the fog. In such cases, mineral deposits readily form in the exit orifice and around the plunger. When the orifice becomes clogged, little or no mist escapes and less cooling results. When the plunger becomes impeded, the resulting mist is often too coarse. People and property in the vicinity of the nozzle tend to get wet and less cooling results.
The occasional clogging is particularly burdensome in connection with conventional atomizing nozzles because conventional atomizing nozzles have undesirably poor life cycle characteristics. In particular, conventional atomizing nozzles used in misting systems tend to be complicated structures which are undesirably expensive to manufacture and purchase. Moreover, conventional atomizing nozzles used in misting systems tend to be uncleanable. Accordingly, conventional atomizing nozzles are expensive to acquire, become clogged before long, then must be thrown away because they cannot be unclogged.
Conventional atomizing nozzles use a multi-part construction which is, at least in part, responsible for the unfortunate life cycle of conventional atomizing nozzles. In a conventional atomizing nozzle, the nozzle body passage is restricted at a fluid inlet end of the nozzle to entrap the plunger in the passage. The plunger is placed in the passage from the exit end of the nozzle, and a separate orifice-bearing plug is press-fit into the passage from the exit end of the nozzle. The orifice-bearing plug is pressed into place with great force so that a fluid tight seal results even when the fluid is placed under great pressure. Because the orifice-bearing plug is a separate component which requires separate complex manufacturing steps to install, the conventional atomizing nozzle is undesirably expensive. Since the orifice-bearing plug is press fit with such great force, it cannot thereafter be removed. Consequently, the conventional atomizing nozzle is essentially uncleanable.